The Search for the Crown
by IcyMoonshine
Summary: King Julien's crown gets stolen and he will do anything to get it back...Even hire four psychotic penguins to help him.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

It was a serene night in Madagascar. The stars were shining bright, a cool breeze flew across the island but it was fairly warm. In a hut built on the sandy beach, Marty, Alex, Gloria and Melman slept. In another hut about the same size, not very far away, four penguins slept. And in the depths of the island, fusa and lemurs slept peacefully.

"WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A shrill, frantic scream filled the air suddenly, ringing through the night.

"OW!" Melman shrieked, having bumped his head on the roof of their hut when he reacted to the scream.

"What was that?" Alex said.

Gloria and Melman shrugged. The three of them exchanged confused looks. They all looked at Marty, who seemed silent.

"Marty, what's up with you?" Gloria turned to him.

"You know something…" Marty began, and then paused for a second. Then he continued, "…that sounded like King Julien."

Indeed it was King Julien. He's up in his tree, tearing his room apart. He lifts his bed up and looks under it. He nearly rips his closet door off and begins throwing out old junk onto the floor. He looks at his desks tops, lots of knickknacks and little decorations on it, and he slides them on his floor. He opens his drawer, throwing everything out of them and then opens the next drawer.

When his room looks as if a tornado came and went through it and then came back and went through it again, he desperately sifted through his floors, full of junk.

"WHERE IS IIIITTT!" he screamed, finally plunking on his bed.

The next think he knew, Maurice waddled in, in his nightgown. "King Julien, why are you freaking out at-" he glanced at his watch "-2 AM?"

King Julien leaped off his bed and got right into Maurice's face. "BECAUSE MY CROWN IS MISSING!" He pointed at his head, where his crown should be, but was not there. He sighed, then turned around and plunked on his bed again.

"Where did you put it?" Maurice stepped over some stuff on the floor and came closer to King Julien.

"On my head, you moron!" yelped King Julien.

"Then how did you lose it?" Maurice asked.

"Maurice, I don't know!" King Julien said. "Maybe someone stole it. I may lose everything else, but no King is stupid enough to misplace their crown."

Maurice slapped his forehead. "Except you," he muttered, and came closer. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, what can we do, Maurice?" King Julien rolled over, his back facing Maurice. His eyes grew wide as he stared at King Julien's back. Right there, taped to his back, was a huge note. "Hold on, Julien," Maurice said and went to grab the note.

"That's KING Julien to you, Maur- OWWW!" he screamed, as Maurice pulled the note right off.

"Oh My Goodness," Maurice said. "Read this!"

King Julien read the note, his eyes wide with disgust:

_King Julien_

_We have your crown._

_It will be held hostage._

_Leave 5 million dollars_

_By the "FUSA TERRITORY" sign_

_At midnight Sunday._

_That's one week._

_Or else you can say good-bye _

_To your precious crown._

_From the Fusa_

After reading the note, King Julien slapped his forehead. "There is no way we can come up with 5 million dollars by one week!"

"Well, do you really want your crown back?" Maurice asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Maurice, what a stupid question! Of course I want my crown back!" King Julien yelled, wailing his arms about, clearly distressed. "Not only does it symbolize my power, but it wasn't cheap!"

He sat on his bed, and put his hands over his face. If Maurice didn't know his king any better, he would've said he was crying. "Maybe we can get you a new one," Maurice said gently, trying not to get him mad. "A BETTER one."

"I want MY crown," he mumbled, the sound muffled by his hands that his face was resting on.

Maurice yawned, and patted King Julien on the back. "Look, Julien-" he began, but the King held his hand up.

"KING Julien, Maurice!" he said. "How many times must I tell you?"

"Look, KING Julien," Maurice said, rolling his eyes, "Get some sleep. I'll hold a council meeting tomorrow."

"Alright," King Julien said.

Maurice thought. Then he remembered - he had met some guys who might be able to help them.


	2. The Meeting

CHAPTER 2

A council meeting was held the very next day. Every lemur attended, along with Marty, Alex, Gloria and Melman. King Julien sat in his throne inside the plane, ashamed to be seen without his very valuable crown. Maurice introduced him, as well as introducing the problem.

Then it was King Julien's turn to speak. "As you know, we already have bad relationships with the dreaded Fusa," he explained, "But now they have crossed the line. They have stolen my precious crown!"

Shocked gasps from the crowd echoed through the room.

"Yes, they are holding it ransom for 5 million dollars, requesting it in exactly one week!" cried the King, waving his arms about.

"5 million dollars!" a alarmed voice from the crowd called out to King Julien. "How are you expected to pay that much in so little time?"

Loud agreements were called out from the large crowd attending the meeting. King Julien shook his head. "I don't know how! We don't have very much…" he pulled out his piggybank, and emptied it. Only a few coins fell out. "We don't have very much at all…"

"What are your plans of action?" a lemur shouted out to him.

"Plans of action?" King Julien said. "I don't know, try to raise some money, something…" he turned to Maurice. "Maurice, did we have any plans of action?"

But Maurice was not there. "Maurice? Maurice!" yelped King Julien, but he was nowhere. "Where did he go…" he muttered…

Maurice ran through the jungle, heading towards the beach. He jumped over every exotic plant and rock in the jungle, looking for what he was desperate for. He searched and searched, trying to find it. He strained his eyes, looking for any signs, but unsuccessfully. He looked until he lost track of where he was. He was hopelessly lost, unaware of where the lemurs were and where the beach was. For all he knew, he could be in Fusa territory. Then he realized - HOLY CRAP! Fusa territory? He looked around, but saw nothing.

He hoped he would find his way.

Then he heard rustling. It wasn't his body shaking…it was something - or _someone_ - in the woods ahead of him…he felt his heart pounding…

Then finally the vines and plants that lay between him and the noise were torn apart, and what stood in front of him was a penguin holding a machete, with a fashionable fanny pack with gear hung on it and a cool army-colored hat.

Maurice was so relieved he nearly fainted. It was what he was looking for; the four psychotic penguins: Skipper, Private, Kowalski and Rico.

Skipper, holding the machete came forward.

"Skipper," Maurice said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I've been looking for you."

"Who are you?" Skipper asked suspiciously, "What would a lemur want with four penguins?"

The three other penguins eased forward, taking cautious peeks at Maurice. "Well, um…"

"Spit it out!" Skipper yelled.

Maurice opened his mouth and said, "Well, we really need your help…" Maurice looked at them hopefully. "Look - did you know King Julien lost his crown? And that the Fusa took it?" he asked them.

"No," they all shook their heads. Then Skipper replied, waving his machete around, "And what does that mean to four penguins?"

"Well," Maurice began, "I was hoping you guys could help. You know, considering you guys are so strong -" hey, it always helps to compliment someone when you need them to do something for you "-maybe you could get the crown back."

"You mean," Skipper said mysteriously, "wander into Fusa territory, do a daring, dangerous, life-threatening, challenging, risky, seemingly impossible task, probably fight against the Fusa, and attempt to return with King Julien's crown, even if we are vastly outnumbered?" By the end of his speech, he was right in Maurice's face.

Maurice could understand why they might not want to, but they were his and King Julien's last hope to get the crown back, without having to cough up 5 million dollars, which quite frankly they didn't have. So, with a painful look on his face, he nodded, because he couldn't think of anything else to say or do.

"Hmmm…" Skipper said. "Seems reasonable, don't you think?"

Private, Kowalski and Rico nodded agreeably. "Yeah, very doable."

"I mean, after all, who has the moves?" Skipper bragged, a gleaming, proud but boastful look on his face. "High-fives!" he yelled and held up his tiny flippers, which all three penguin pals slapped.

He then looked at Maurice, who had a confused, just plan weirded out look. "Well, then," Maurice broke the silence. "Will you follow m-" Skipper suddenly cut him off.

"Wait, lemur," he said. "What's in it for us?"

Maurice rolled his eyes. "Normally, I'd require it just be out of your generosity, but since we're so lucky to have you doing this…I'll make you fresh sushi for a week."

"Two weeks!" Skipper haggled.

Maurice sighed and said reluctantly, "Fine! Two weeks! Now will you _please _just follow me?"

Skipper high-fived all his comrades again, and he followed Maurice, who was waddling, a few steps. Then he stopped. "Wait…I'm lost…do you know where our meeting place is?" he asked them.

"Kowalski!" Skipper commanded. His tall right-hand-penguin appeared next to him. "Map, please!"

Kowalski took out his map and gazed across it for a minute. His eyes showed that he was deep in thought and concentration. "Skipper, sir, I've found it." He takes out a compass and glares at it for a second. He then points to the side of where they were walking. "This way!" he declared.

"Good job, Kowalski," Skipper told him. "Now! March!" he said, and Maurice, annoyed, followed the penguins' march all the way to the base, which was successfully located.

Inside, the meeting was proceeding. When they walked in, King Julien was telling the crowd about what his crown looked like, and a police-sketch-artist was sketching it for him.

"Um, none of this will be needed!" Maurice declared.

"MAURICE!" yelled King Julien, leaping up and walking towards Maurice. "Don't you disappear like that! I was about to send a search party out for you!"

"Okay, okay!" Maurice said, pushing the King aside and holding his hands up to control the very rowdy, noisy crowd. Silence immediately filled the room, as Maurice announced. "No money will be needed. Instead, these kind penguins will go into the Fusa Territory and bring back the King's crown!"

Cheering, much, MUCH cheering was heard. The penguins smiled proudly and Skipper waved at everyone. The crowd jumped for them.

"OKAY, OKAY, ENOUGH!" bellowed King Julien. "What qualifications do you have? We need a demonstrator…Maurice!" Maurice shyly stepped up beside the penguins, eyeing them very cautiously. "Maurice is strong, will you please attempt to fight Maurice?"

"Julien, I'm very sure they're qualified, it's really not necess-" But Skipper was already stomping on his foot. "OWW!" he screamed. Skipper slapped him and kicked him in his stomach. When he bent down, he put him in a headlock. The other penguins jumped on top of him and the weight forced him on the ground. "Give up, Lemur?" Skipper said, still firmly holding the headlock.

"Yes! Yes!" Maurice yelled. They all released him.

"Yes, you seem qualified for this job…I give it the okay!" he stood, and the crowd cheered and cheered again. The cheering and yelling went nonstop and King Julien stood proudly. Maurice, whimpering, struggled to stand, but finally did. "That's what you get, Maurice, for not addressing me by 'King Julien'."

Maurice rolled his eyes once again. He plunked down on the floor, clearly tired and worn from his encounter with the penguins. "Next time you should demonstrate," he muttered under his breath.

King Julien and the penguins bowed as the cheering continued.


	3. Psychotic Penguins!

CHAPTER 3

It was early morning. The penguins had been able to stay in one of King Julien's guestrooms, surprisingly with no fee. There was only two beds, so Skipper (of course) took one and Kowalski took the other, forcing Rico and Private on the floors. In the middle of the night, they both had snuck up on the ends of the two beds to get some sleep comfortably.

When Skipper woke up early, he found Private sleeping soundly on the end of his bed. "Don't they know not to do anything until I give out orders?" he muttered, getting up.

He waddled out of the room into the kitchen, to look for the refrigerator. It took a minute, but he finally found it. When he opened the door, he found a whole goldmine of fish, and ready-to-eat sushi. He took out four of the sushi containers and walked down the hallway back to the room they slept in.

He peeked, to see the rest of them sleeping soundly. He slammed the door open, watching each penguin's eyes slowly open. He chucked a sushi container at each of them. He missed Kowalski and Rico, but Private got hit in the stomach. "Ow," he muttered.

"Kowalski, Rico and Private!" Skipper yelled. "Get up! Eat!"

Each penguin slowly rose, eyeing the sushi containers. Kowalski was the first to open his, and he did it slowly and with caution. He picked up one of the sushi bites and looked at it. He threw it and caught it and toyed with it, finding it was rather squishy and rubbery. Skipper stopped watching him and looked at his own sushi. He picked it up and was about to eat it.

"Skipper, don't eat it," Kowalski told him.

The bite was halfway into his mouth when he paused, and then took it out. "Why, Kowalski?" he asked.

Kowalski replied, "Well, I find it rubbery. It's not tender and fresh like good sushi should be. It's like back in grade school, when the sushi nuggets bounced."

Skipper smiled. "Ahh, grade school…" He snapped back to life and looked at his three fellow penguins. "Well, we have encountered a dilemma. I guess we need someone to test it."

"Good idea!" Rico exclaimed.

Skipper looked at each one of them. "Private!" he yelled, and threw a bite of sushi at him. "Eat it and tell us how it tastes."

Private made a nervous, unappealing look at it. "Skipper, I really don't want to-"

"Private! Do it!" Skipper commanded, so Private shrugged his shoulders and put it in his mouth.

They waited for a report, but they didn't need one. A second later, Private started choking. He dashed into the bathroom and closed the door. Skipper, Kowalski and Rico stared at the door wide-eyed for a moment. The tension was strong. They wondered what was wrong with Private, and if the sushi was really THAT bad.

A minute later, Private waddled out, looking very sick. He was pale and a bit…green, and his eyes looked dazed. He could barely walk straight, he just plopped on the floor. "How was it?" Rico asked.

Private could barely speak. "…B-bad…" he moaned.

"That sushi makes you sick!" Kowalski said. "Just like food at grade school…"

"Private, you lie down, you look pretty ill," Skipper told him.

"I…c-can't move…" Private moaned from the floor. Skipper put a concerned look on his face.

"Kowalski, give me options," he said.

Kowalski took out his pad and began sketching. For a minute his face was struggling with thought about what he was drawing. A moment later he showed them his drawing, of three stick figures heaving another stick figure up and onto a big block (the bed).

"Good job, Kowalski!" Skipper said. "Ready? Come on, Rico."

Rico hopped off the bed and joined Skipper and Kowalski who were already ready to pick Private up.

"Ready…set…HEAVE!" Skipper called, and the penguins tried to lift Private with their delicate flippers. They toiled in lifting him, but finally did. When they had him in the air, they used every inch of strength they had to throw him on the bed. When he was on the bed, he immediately fell asleep.

"I think he's been cutting back on exercise…" Skipper remarked. "At least we have muscle!" Skipper said, but when he looked at his flipper he found it extremely thin, and quite frankly, weak.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! There was a few very loud knocks on their door. They recognized the noise and waddled for the door. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! "Okay, okay, hold your horses!" yelled Skipper. They got to the door and the three of them climbed on each other and reached the doorknob. They opened it, to see Maurice standing at the door.

"Hello," he greeted them rather friendlily.

"Hello," Skipper said.

Maurice, smiling, said, "You ready to get to work?"

"Work on what? - Oh, right, finding the crown," Skipper said.

"We have your first mission," Maurice said. "We need you to go spy on the Fusa. You know, find out what their planning."

Skipper nodded. "Alright, that seems doable. Boys, what do you think?"

Kowalski and Rico nodded. Skipper began giving orders. "Rico - go tell Private what we're doing. Kowalski, you'll come with me."

"Good luck…" Maurice said. He whispered in Skipper's ear - "Don't let them catch you. They are VICIOUS. Be very, very careful."

"No worries, my friend," Skipper assured them. "No worries."


End file.
